History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 160

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1158

USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I > Part 160

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VILLAGES .- Villages have been formed in var- ious sections of the township. They are: Guthsville Cedarville

Hoffmansville

Dorneyville

Snydersville Griesemerville

Crackersport Greenawald

Walbert's Station

Sherersville

Guth's Station

· Seiple's Station

Wennersville

Half-way House

Mechanicsville

GUTHSVILLE is situated on the west bank of the Jordan, six miles northwest of Allentown. The land was taken up in 1780 by Adam Guth, a son of Lorenz Guth, Sr., and Michael, Adam's son, located here in 1782. Henry, another son of Adam, about this time, established a hotel and carried it on for a long while. It was a small two-story log building (afterward weather- boarded ), and stood 200 feet west of the present hotel where Jacob Bloch erected a two-story brick dwelling-house about 1880. Its last pro- prietor for many years was Aaron Guth. In 1851 he erected the present superior two-story brick building to take its place, and there car- ried on a successful hotel business for a consid- erable time. His successors were Jesse Miller, Charles Sieger, Edward Driesbach, Jeremiah Klotz, Peters & Seiberling, Ellen Bortz, Silas Kerschner, Joseph Mickley, Llewellyn Henning- er, Kuhns & Schankweiler ( 1906-11), and since 19II, Wilson F. Schankweiler, who equipped the place with modern improvements and introduced a strong supply of spring water.

This locality is sometimes called "Five Points," from five roads concentrating here: northwest to Claussville; north to Siegersville; south to Walbert's Station ; southwest to Lutheran church and Fogelsville ; west to Snyderville. The "State Highway" was extended through the vil- lage from Wennersville to Siegersville in 1911. As an evidence of the popularity of this point, the following vehicles passed the hotel, on Sunday, Sept. 28th, 1913, from 2 to 6 p. m .: 330 auto- mobiles, 130 motorcycles, 20 bicycles, and 50 teams.

In 1855 a three-story brick store-building was

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

erected by Daniel Kemmerer on the corner op- posite the hotel, and he carried on a business in general merchandise for many years. His suc- cessors were Thomas Seislove, Peter Lerch, Levi Stern, Joseph Gruber (13 years), Henry F. Druckenmiller ( 1894-1906), and Henry P. Wehr, since 1906.

In 1871 a P. O. S. of A. Camp was instituted here but discontinued in a few years. In 1888 a second camp, No. 378, was instituted which has been conducted in a very successful manner until now, the membership in 1913 having been 128. In 1892, the camp purchased the property and since then it has been known as the "P. O. S. of A. Hall."

A postoffice was established in this building in 1879, named "Stettlersville," after Daniel Stettler (son-in-law of Henry Guth), the oldest resident of the village. The name of that village could not be selected because "Guth's Station P. O." nearby had been previously established. The parcel-post was begun Jan. 1, 1913.

In 1810, Joseph Guth started a tannery here and carried it on sixty years until he died, when the business was discontinued. Jacob Kressly then became the owner of the property and he converted the building ("bark-shed") into a machine shop, which he carried on until 1909, then changed it into two small frame dwellings.

Peter A. Guth, son of Joseph, embarked in the business of sawing lumber at the close of the Civil War. He built several mills here and carried on the business extensively for. ten years; then it became difficult to secure a supply of timber and he was obliged to abandon his ope- rations.

Aaron Guth started the manufacture of build- ing brick in the village before 1854. He erected a large kiln near the south bank of the Jordan, west of the road, and carried on the business until the race track was constructed in 1861. His production was many thousand and all were used in the erection of the brick buildings at Guthsville, including the hotel and store, and the Stettler, Snyder, Haas, Ritter, Diehl, Shuler, and Hoffman dwelling-houses. Cord-wood was con- sumed for burning the brick.

The butchering business has been carried on here extensively for some years by Franklin Miller, Jeremiah Haas, Josiah Lambert, and Llewellyn Lentz (ten years). The last named was succeeded by Clinton T. Snyder, who rebuilt the slaughter-house in 1905 and he has since de- veloped a large trade which reaches out into the surrounding country many miles.

Uriah Shuler started the first carpet-weaving shop in the village in 1908, adjoining the store,

and he has since made rag carpets there. He taught himself and constructed his loom.

In 1852 a blacksmith shop was started oppo- site the only hotel building where it was carried on for some years by Moses Diehl and Jacob Lo- bach. A second was put up near the county bridge where Charles Kerschner and his sons did a large business until 1890.

In 1911, S. T. Ritter erected a frame machine shop at the road leading to Guth's Station for repairing and dealing in gasoline engines, and also repairing farming implements and autos.

In 1890, Silas Kerschner, (while owner of the hotel property ), erected a bakery near the hotel, which was carried on until 1909 by Charles Rhoads and George Cresser as partners, Jacob Kressly, William Guth, and M. S. Laub, and last by Eugene Hausman. An ox was roasted in this bake-oven, for a Democratic mass-meeting held in the village to celebrate the election of Woodrow Wilson as President, and during its consumption there was much merriment.

Race track .- Aaron Guth was an enterprising, useful citizen of the village. Besides carrying on the hotel, he embarked in the business of en- couraging speedy horses by laying out a trotting half-mile track along the Jordan east of the bridge. This was before 1860, and it attracted many persons from distant places who were fond of fast driving. But it was found too small ; so in 1861 he established a mile track (egg- shaped), along the Jordan west of the bridge, and enclosed the three-sides in a board fence, 8 feet high, with an entrance several hundred feet west of the hotel, and shedding westward from this entrance for the display of live-stock, and stabling the horses brought to the place. It was largely patronized for two years by prominent horsenien from Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Reading, and other cities; David Gilbert, of Griesemersville, and George Snyder and his son of Snyderville (prominent horse-jockeys), were influential supporters of this local institution. But the "depression of war time" obliged Mr. Guth to suspend operations. A "circular" half- mile track was then constructed out of the east- ern end and used for many years until 1885.

Local Fair .- During the years 1861 and 1862 certain enterprising men of Guthsville substituted a local fair and horse-racing in the place of the abandoned Battalion-Day. A track was con- structed in the immediate vicinity where the rac- ing was held.

Sunday school was organized in 1908 in the public school building and it has been maintained since. In 1913, the enrolled membership was 130. Its superintendent has been George Rex. The United Brethren in Christ erected a

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frame church in the village in 1867 and used it only two years when they established another church south of Siegersville and sold the building to the township, and it was occupied as a public school until 1905, when the school was trans- ferred to a new brick building in the village, and the church was then sold to C. J. Laudenslager, who has since used it in carrying on his trade as a plumber.

Old Buildings .- Next to the "bark-shed" frame houses, there is a fine old two-story cut stone dwelling-house on the west side of the "state road," which was erected before 1800 by a descendant of the Guth family, and this attracts much attention by its substantial colonial ap-

man; and additional dwellings having been put there the place took the name of Hoffmansville. The hotel was afterward owned by Frank C. Balliet and George Keiser; and in 1868 it was discontinued.

Iron ore was first discovered here about 1820 by George Guth and he operated the plant for a number of years when he was succeeded by his sons-in-law, Joseph Kern and Phaon Albright, who continued the business in a successful man- ner until 1855. James F. Kline, having married Kern's daughter, then took his interest in the plant, and it was then carried on very extensive- ly and very profitably under leases with the Crane Iron Co., Bethlehem Iron Co., and Thom-

HENRY GUTH HOMESTEAD, BUILT 1835.

pearance; and another stands opposite the store which is shown by the accompanying illustra- tion, erected in 1835 by Henry Guth.

Population .- In 1884 there were 40 dwellings and about 200 population; in 1913, 31 dwell- ings and 141 population.

From 1890 to 1900, the community supported the Guthsville Mutual Aid Association, which had a membership of 300.

HOFFMANSVILLE is situated on a portion of the Peter Kern tract in the northern section of the township, a half-mile from the Siegersville sta- tion on the trolley line. In 1813 Joseph Kern, a son of Peter, and son-in-law of George Guth, purchased from his father, 201 acres of this tract and erected a brick dwelling-house which is still standing. It was converted into a hotel about 1830 by a subsequent owner, John Hoff-

as Iron Co., for upwards of thirty years; then the operating expenses became too great on ac- count of pumping out enormous quantities of water and the plant was abandoned. The prop- erty is now owned by Dr. Molton Kline (son of James), who has practiced his profession at Hoffmansville since 1891, having been previously at Guthsville from 1876 to that time. During the early operations at this plant, the ore was washed by the waters of the Jordan through long troughs west of the highway, on the north side of the creek, from where the ore was hauled in four and six-mule teams to different furnaces un- til the railroad was opened to Guth's Station in 1857. By the excavation at the village, adjoin- ing the road on the east several hundred feet long, it is evident that many thousands of tons of ore were removed.

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Upon the discovery of additional iron ore there by Joseph Kern in 1841, the business life of the place was revived and another hotel was started in a two-story brick building erected by John Kuhn on the opposite side of the road, which he carried on until he died. His sons Edward and Nathan succeeded him and they conducted the place for five years. Different parties occupied it until 1910, when the license for a tavern was refused. John G. Gackenbach has since con- ducted a "temperance hotel." From 1841 this business center was called Orefield.

The mines were reached by railroad exten- sion of the Ironton R. R. from Siegersville. The great and deep exposed excavations, and the large banks of waste materials, plainly visible to the east of the highway, are evidence of the ex- tensive ore operations at this point.

SNYDERVILLE, recently named "Sunnyside," was started by George Snyder in 1835 by the erec- tion of a two-story brick hotel near the westerly line of the township and carrying on a very ac- tive and successful business for many years. He dealt extensively in horses with a son as part- ner and they took great interest in the racing tracks at Guthsville-about a mile distant to the northeast. It was afterward owned by John Sny- der and he was succeeded by his son, Abraham. Alfred Wiltrout has been the proprietor since 1906. It was enlarged and improved, and then much appreciated as a "Club-House."

For a time George Snyder dealt extensively in plows and farm wagons.

CRACKERSPORT .- Leonard Steininger and his brother were pioneer settlers in the vicinity of the little village of Crackersport When they reached the locality as complete strangers, it was a wilderness, with great forests of tall oaks round-about, and it is said that they climbed to the top of the highest trees in order to ascertain if there were any smoking chimneys or crowing roosters and in this manner discover the locality of immigrant settlers who had preceded them. The site of the village came to be owned by John Billig and he occupied the land for many years. He established a tavern there and carried it on for a while. He was succeeded by Jeremiah Troxel and Joseph Kelchner; then by Aaron Walbert who discontinued it as a public house.

A carriage factory was carried on by Daniel Stauffer from 1860 till he died in 1893, and con- tinued by his son Harvey for two years after- ward.

A "Temperance Hall," one-story frame build- ing, 24 by 40 feet, was founded here in 1849 by the Sons of Temperance, South Whitehall Di- vision, No. 391. The charter members were:

Simon Keck Daniel Kerchner Ephraim Reinhard Jonas Reinhard Solomon Fries William Eisenhard

Josiah Strauss

Henry Dannberger

Edwin Acker

John Huber

Henry Hertzel Aaron Kepp Benjamin Moyer Alexander Knauss Gideon Guth

Joseph Hammel Amos Fries

It was maintained until 1908, when it was sold to Edgar Kocher and he converted it into a private dwelling.

WALBERT'S STATION was established on the C. & F. R. R. at its opening in 1857 and named after Solomon Walbert, an old and highly hon- ored resident property-holder of the vicinity. Here, near the railroad, is a point of concentra- tion for three public roads crossing one another, which was the western terminus of the first sec- tion of "state road," constructed in 1910 on the route from Allentown to the Blue mountains, which came to be commonly known as the "Wennersville Pike."

Elias Henninger started a hotel near the cross- roads and carried it on for some years when he was succeeded by his son, Amandus. In 1870, E. C. Jacoby became the owner and he con- ducted it for 27 years until his decease. Henry Weidner then purchased the property. A num- ber of parties then carried on the place without a license until 1909 under a lease from Weidner's widow; since then Albert J. Reichert has been the proprietor.

A store was conducted here for some years but for want of proper support it was abandoned.

In 1913 it contained nine dwellings and a school house.

GUTH'S STATION is a recognized village which started with the opening of the C. & F. R. R., and became an active and profitable shipping point for iron ore, for thirty years and afterward ; also for vitrified brick for upwards of fifteen years. Besides the station, a hotel and store were established there and these have been continued until the present time. Calvin Miller conducted the hotel from 1874 to 1909; and since then, William Troxell. Mr. Miller and his son were the store-keepers for many years; then Morris Miller and Valentine Kleppinger; and since July, 1913, De Long Brothers.

One of the first mining operations was started here about 1830 on the land of Daniel Guth, and continued for sixty years; and Knappenberger Brothers (David and Henry) were active and enterprising miners for many years on leasehold interests.

Extensive limestone quarries were carried on. Both have been abandoned and the working peo- ple have left.

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899

In the mining of the iron ore here, the min- eral was first screened, not washed, and it was raised by a windlass and carried in baskets. Then it came to be washed by a natural flow of water through prepared ditches; and afterward steam- power was introduced, with the first experiments made in this vicinity.

WENNERSVILLE is located on a farm which was owned by George Wenner. In 1837 his son, William, bought a part of this farm and erected a hotel on it which he carried on for some time. His successors were Charles Guth, Gideon Guth, Alexander Loder, Josiah Strauss, and Jonas Ren- ninger.

In 1840 Gideon Guth started a general store and conducted it several years.

tian acquired the property in 1857, and in 1877 put up an addition at the west end. His wife was a daughter of Steininger. He conducted the stand from 1871 to 1889, then G. A. Gaumer took possession, and he has carried it on since then. His wife is a daughter of Col. Bastian.

CEDARVILLE .- Before 1800, the site of this vil- lage was owned by the Knauss family. In 1852 the land was owned by Charles Mertz (who carried on the Haines mill for a number of years), and about 1858 he laid off and sold build- ing lots which led to the formation of a village at this point and came to be called after the creek. In 1884 it contained twenty dwellings.

The prospective enlargement of the City of Allentown has been extended to Cedarville.

SIEGER HOMESTEAD, HOFFMANSVILLE.

A blacksmith shop was started in 1858. The first machine-shop was erected in 1866 by Thomas Wenner; and a second was put up in 1873.

In 1869, certain German Baptists established a frame church here and carried on a religious or- ganization until 1901; and they had a small cemetery connected with the church. Since 1905 this building has been owned by Chester P. Wenner and used by him for storing farm im- plements.

Half-Way House was established by one Stein- inger in 1812 in the east end of a stone building on the road from Allentown to Fogelsville, "mid- way," as its name indicates, and he conducted a hotel business for many years. Col. D. H. Bas-

Thirty-sixth street would be, if laid out, at the Haines Mill; and Hamilton street would follow the line of the village thoroughfare.

Postoffice .- A postoffice was established in the village in 1888. The citizens had suggested the name of Cedarville to the Department but this was refused ; after some correspondence, the de- partment peremptorily proposed the name of Cetronia and this was accepted. Since then, the locality has been sometimes called by that name. The postmasters were Solomon Dorney, H. O. Weaver, till his death (son-in-law of Dorney) and Peter Weaver (grand-son of Dorney). It was discontinued in 1907 upon the establishment of the R. F. D., through this section of terri- tory.

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

A general store was carried on by the post- masters. It is continued by Peter Weaver in the name of his father's estate.

A hotel was started in 1855 by James A. Yeager, and his successors have been Henry Her- bine, Henry Gilbert, Elias George, Owen Kern, and John Morrow.

Charles A., Daniel A., and Edwin H. Muse, sons of Edwin (who at the age of 76 years is the oldest survivor now at Cedarville), established a dumb-waiter works in the village in 1909 and put up a superior three-story building where they have since manufactured upwards of 400 waiters for household use and forwarded them to various places such as Allentown, Bethlehem, Catasau- qua, Tamaqua, Harrisburg. When not in use, it is concealed beneath the floor where it is held in place by a self-acting spring; but when in use, the spring is released by a slender iron rod and the waiter ascends automatically.

John Knappenberger started a blacksmith-shop here, at the cross-roads in 1860 (after having carried on the business for several years nearby), and he continued it for twenty years. He was succeeded by his son, Milton, from 1880 to 1909, and his grandson Oliver from 1909 to the present time.

The dwellings in that community number 100 with an estimated population of 500.

A village began to be formed a short distance west of Cedarville about 1900, and in 1913 it contained 50 dwellings. It is called Cetronia.

In 1905 a band was organized by William Kiebach, Edward Dorney, and Edward Glick, with 30 musicians, mostly from the village, and in 1908 they erected a frame hall for their meet- ings and practice.

Cedar Creek Church is situated in Cedarville, near the cross roads. It is a two-story brick structure, built in 1855 at a cost of $5,000 by members of the Lutheran and Reformed denomi- nations, and rebuilt by them in 1886. The steeple is 113 feet high. It is equipped with a pipe organ and heated by hot air heaters in the basement. The capacity of the auditorium is 600. 'The membership is about 500, the Lutheran being more than half. Five acres of ground are connected with the church where a burying ground has been established, and the bodies of :six veteran soldiers have been buried in it:

John Fahringer Laurence Keck

Henry Hartzell

Ogden Lewis

Daniel Heimbach

James A. Yeager

The pastors have been : Lutheran. Reformed.

Jeremiah Schindel

Joseph Dubs, 1855-67

William Rath

Edwin J. Fogel,

Owen Leopold

1867-1911.

Elmer Leopold (son)

P. A. Behler, 1910-13

Franklin Guth, 1911-14

A Sunday school has been conducted in the basement since 1855.

Evangelical Church .- In 1855, members of the Albright Evangelical Association secured a lot of ground from Abraham Knauss and erected a small brick building costing $3,000, which formed a charge with Texas, Wescosville, and Macungie.

Grace Church .- The Evangelical Associa- tion erected a one-story frame building in 1896 for religious services, nearly opposite the Union Church. The dimensions are 40 feet along the road by a depth of 20 feet. The congregation has been small.

Poultry Farm .- In 1909 Col. Harry C. Trex- ler, of Allentown, embarked in the business of conducting a poultry farm in this township, lo- cating it on 19 acres of land along the northerly side of Cedar creek, on the road to Fogeisville, opposite the Union church, and this has since been under the successful management of David Kehm. In the fall of 1913, the poultry com- prised about 2,500 chickens (Leghorn and White- Rock), 300 guinea fowl, 200 turkeys, 150 ducks, 80 English pheasants, and 6 geese, and numerous Antwerp pigeons. There were several hundred capons, each weighing upwards of two pounds, and some having reached 14 pounds.

DORNEYSVILLE is situated about a mile east of Cedarville at a prominent cross-roads, which is a mile southwest of Allentown. A hotel was es- tablished here at a very early period by Peter Dorney and conducted by him and his sons until 1871 and the business led to the formation of a small village. Their successors were Edwin Muse, Nathan Frederick, David Gilbert and James A. Yeager, the last named from 1875 to 1897; and since then Yeager's son, Tilghman. The place includes five dwellings, but no store nor industry of any kind.

Dorney Park .- Dorney Park was founded by Solomon Dorney about 1860. He owned several hundred acres of land in the southern extremity of South Whitehall township, along Cedar creek, and when he sold his farm, reserved about fifteen acres (including the mansion-house), for himself for the purpose of establishing a "trout-hatchery." He constructed a number of trout ponds and stocked them with great quantities of trout, and within ten years he developed an extensive busi- ness, sending trout to all parts of the country, more especially to the markets at Philadelphia and New York, and realizing from $1.00 to $1.50 a pound. The place came to have a won- derful reputation for trout-fishing, and during the season many fishermen went there from all parts of eastern Pennsylvania.

About 1870, Mr. Dorney secured a hotel li-

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SOUTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP.

cense and then directed his attention more to- wards the development of a park for picnics and amusements of all kinds. He put up the neces- sary buildings and it soon came to be a very popular resort during the Summer. Excursions by Sunday schools and societies of all kinds were largely patronized, more especially after a railway to the place was constructed to facilitate con- venient access. All the improvements there for the accommodation of the numerous patrons and the encouragement of recreation and pleasure, cost upwards of $75,000. Summer boarders from all parts of the country found satisfactory enter- tainment. Naturally as the park feature was de- veloped, the hatchery came to be discontinued. The swimming-pool was a very attractive part of the enterprise, said to have been the largest arti- ficial pond for this purpose in the world.

Charles A. Dorney, brother of the park pro- prietor, constructed a trolley line from Allentown to the place at great expense and this was ex- tended to Kutztown where it came to be con- nected with a similar line from Reading. The trolley company then purchased the park in 1900 and has since operated it in connection with the railway. It still continues to be a popular re- sort.

Dorney Bakery was established in 1878 by Frank T. Dorney who has conducted it since. He employs four people, and has two teams on the road.

GRIESEMERSVILLE .- In 1806, Abraham Griese- mer built a tavern here and carried it on for many years. He was succeeded by his son and grandson, both named Solomon, who conducted the place until 1876; and then by the second Sol- omon's son, David Griesemer. In 1883, an- other son, Alfred, became the owner and he still has the property, being in the family name for 175 years. The original farm contained 500 acres, and included the fair grounds, the Greenwood cemeteries, and the Allentown hospital grounds. The first building was of log; the second of stone and log, which was torn down in 1860; and the third is three-story brick.

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History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 160

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1158

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1158